After being involved with FFA on many levels as a member, Dale Cruzan is now an agricultural science teacher and FFA advisor at Allentown High School in New Jersey. He says he loves to help his students find their passion through agriculture and FFA. During FFA Week, the Allentown FFA Chapter continues a tradition started in the 1970s: They travel to nearby Tennent to place a wreath on the grave of Leslie Applegate — the first national FFA president (1928-29).

This interview aired on the Feb. 20, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Kelly Keller, FFA advisor at Arlington High School in South Dakota, is the recipient of the 2016 ACTE Carl Perkins Community Service Award. She says her chapter may be small but it is active and very community-focused. Arlington FFA members have helped with community service projects ranging from landscaping a park to painting a house to volunteering at a nursing home.

This interview aired on the Feb. 20, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Elizabeth Pack, FFA advisor at the Asheboro High School Zoo School in North Carolina, describes the unique setting for their FFA chapter – on the grounds of the North Carolina Zoo! She explains how they work with the zoo’s horticulture program to manage a community garden. Asheboro Zoo FFA Chapter President Kaleigh Reynolds says learning is easier at the zoo.

This interview aired on the Feb. 20, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Tara Berescik, an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Tri-Valley Central School in Grahamsville, N.Y., was the 2014 ACTE Teacher of the Year. Tara explains how agriscience is incorporated throughout the Tri-Valley agriculture curriculum – from water chemistry to animal science to floral design. She also talks about encouraging her students to take advantage of opportunities to expand their horizons.

This interview aired on the Feb. 13, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Clyde McBride, CTE coordinator at Monument Valley High School in Kayenta, Ariz., was persistent in his quest for the school to have a state-of-the-art agricultural sciences building with a veterinary clinic – and that dream became a reality in 2011. Clyde’s passion for his students is just one reason why he was named the 2015 ACTE Teacher of the Year.

This interview aired on the Feb. 6, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Marie Bucko talks about her FFA experiences in Wisconsin, which range from serving as the 2007-08 Wisconsin State FFA Reporter to being Wisconsin’s national officer candidate in 2009. As a college student, she was active in the Collegiate FFA chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Marie currently works on the Food Safety Modernization Act at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C.

This interview aired on the Feb. 6, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Michaela Cisowski, a member of the Northwestern Regional 7 FFA Chapter in Winsted, Conn., says her participation in a meal-packing event at the Washington Leadership Conference was a life-changing event. Now she and Megan Griswold are organizing fundraising events in their hometown to raise $12,000, which they will use to pack 50,000 meals to help fight hunger. (From WFSB News Channel 3 in Hartford, Conn.)

This interview aired on the Feb. 6, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

LaRue County FFA member Forrest Durham of Hodgenville, Ky., has a delicious SAE project – he roasts corn! After learning about roasting corn, he drove to San Antonio with his father to buy a corn roaster, and now Forrest travels around Kentucky to sell his roasted corn at festivals and fairs. He promotes his Bull Durham Roasted Corn enterprise on his Facebook page and via word of mouth.

This interview aired on the January 30, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Members of the Tulelake FFA Chapter in California cultivated 10,000 mint roots in their greenhouse and then reset the plants in a field to mature. After harvesting, the mint is dried and then cooked with steam to produce mint oil that the chapter sells. FFA advisor Tim Brown explains that revenues from the school farm are used to send students to conferences and competitions.

This interview aired on the January 30, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.